(Author's Note: I do not own Teen Titans, the characters of the show, or robots. Thanks for reading and enjoy!)

Carved Glass

.:Chapter Two:.

Wings

The streets were cold, damp. Walls rose up around me, as unmoving and dark as my cell walls had been. There were no voices that I could hear, except for the odd gruff-sounding mumble. I couldn't even see the sky because the clouds were so thick and grey. The sound of cars, which I had thought would be strong, was a weak hum only. I took a deep breath, tasting nothing but stale air, as the lonesome fluttering of a paper bag mournfully filled my ears. I felt a chill run up my spine as I looked over my shoulder at the small window. Far below this place my master sat, unsuspecting that I had escaped. For now. I turned away and ran down the alley. My feet splashed against the tar, creating a steady beat in the near silence of the ghetto. Step, step, step, step…

The outside world was not what I had expected it to be. I felt as if a weight were pressing on my chest – though I was sure it was from suppressing the bond instead of disappointment that this place was what I had dreamed to see. How pathetic my dream seemed to me now, staring up at the cloudy sky and wondering why I couldn't see any blue. That color was what had filled my nights and caused my heart to ache with longing. Now, it was covered up with grey. A suited trait I suppose. What more could I wish for? My entire life had been grey. Not black. There had been good times, long ago, and those memories were what kept me going. Never white. The very ache in my body and soul told me that. Grey. Grey, grey, grey…

A black cat ran across a nearby alley. It stopped and looked at me steadily with its eerie yellow eyes. I stared back, surprised by its appearance. I bared its teeth at me and then continued on its way, silver sliding across its ebony body as it disappeared into the shadows. I wrung my hands nervously, feeling small and vulnerable in this wide world. Perhaps I should have stayed in my small but relatively safe cell. At least there I knew what to be a afraid of. Here, I could hardly even guess.

I rounded a corner and found myself facing two men. I froze, not knowing what to do. I couldn't risk a confrontation now. I shrank back, my hand going to my side instinctively. Perhaps it was because I'd only ever known – or perhaps I could only remember – men who hurt me and used me. I trembled a bit as one of the figures turned to look my way. He was a grungy person, with shrewd narrow eyes and a big dark beard. The other man didn't look away from the wall across from where he sat. He had a long, sallow face and pale greenish eyes. His brown hair hung in wet strands down his face. He seemed to have an empty sort of stare that wasn't focused on anything. Maybe he was lost in thought? It seemed unlikely, as he turned his face slightly at the sound of my approach.

"Hey, look what we have here." The dark man said, smirking at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. I clenched my fists, squared my shoulders, and hoped to sound convincing as I said:

"I'm looking for Parkson Walk. Do you know where it is?" I had seen it before through the eyes of the black device that my master called his Watcher. It was ironic that my only link to the outside world had been the very thing keeping me from it. The dark man laughed, though his friend did not join it. The sallow-faced man stood slowly, turning his back on his rude companion.

"I know where it is," he said, picking up something that had been leaning against the wall – a cane. He tapped his way towards me, his eyes staring just over my shoulder. "I can take you."

"You… you can find your way there?" I asked, trying not to sound surprised. The corner of his mouth turned upward in a sarcastic smile.

"I may be blind but I'm not helpless," he said, shuffling past me. I paused a moment and watched him. Then, glancing at his surly-faced friend and deciding him the lesser of two evils, I rushed after him. The streets were all equally filthy and wet. I wondered if it had rained. I must have been asleep, for I usually liked to sit up and listen to the rain falling steadily on the world above. My blind guide was magnificently good at finding his way, much to my surprise. He knew where to turn without using his cane to tap on walls, he knew where puddles were and could avoid them, and he seemed to know what places were inhabited for he skirted those pointedly. We walked along in relative silence, our footsteps echoing in the empty forlorn streets of the ghetto. I couldn't help feeling suspicious and uncomfortable around him, but I was too nervous to talk much.

"What are you doing wandering around these streets, anyway?" The man asked me suddenly. I started, my heart reacting to the man's voice with a nervous pattering. Perhaps I was conditioned to think that a voice meant pain and misery. It seemed likely to me. The thought of master was like a knife in my side. I was already weak trying to keep the bond from alerting him of my absence. Plus, it would only keep me from getting any farther. I must keep going. I must find freedom, if only for a moment.

"I get lost easily," I said, quite honestly actually. When master gave me control of the Watcher, I often wandered off in the wrong direction, much to his chagrin. He'd taken to not releasing me until my destination was just at hand.

"Ah. And what, may I ask, is your name?" My name. I paused. Apprentice? No. Prisoner? No, not that either. I faintly remembered hearing something like "links" before. But that wasn't a name. So what was my name? Master always just called me what suited him. Like 'girl'. I frowned, thinking. I couldn't remember a name. Did I even have one? Was I even human?

"You don't have to tell me," the man said. "I understand. Mine's Jerry, though, if you were wondering." He smiled slightly, and I could see a Jerry somewhere in the lines of his face. His name suited him. I wish I had a name.

"Does everyone have a name?" I asked quietly.

"I should say so," Jerry replied, glancing at me with his blind green eyes, though his gaze hit just below my shoulder.

"Oh." We walked in relative silence for a while. Then Jerry pulled up suddenly, squinting as he looked at the end of the alley. The light there was brighter, less oppressive. I could hear cars and voices, the patter of footsteps.

"There's Parkson Walk for ya. You have a good day, girl," Jerry said, nodding to me before shuffling back into the dark alley. I watched him for a moment, feeling sad. Jerry wasn't a bad person. Why was he wandering those dark, cold streets? I couldn't even imagine why the world was so cruel to people like us. Outcasts. Prisoners. I hunched my shoulders against the cold, sticking my hands into the pockets of my beat up hoodie. With a hefty sigh, I turned my face back to Parkson Walk and made my way into the busy world of the fortunate people.

The Walk was bustling with activity, quite the opposite of the dark alleys above master's lair. Children were following a teacher who was pointing to the bronze statues and explaining the meaning behind them. Vendors were calling out their wares, from hot dogs to candies and rugs. Three men were posing as statues, moving only when money was dropped into a hat at their feet. I wandered into the street, watching as bikers zoomed past, leaving a wake of people glaring over their shoulders. I was awed by the sights, the smells. Instead of dank stone and sweat I smelt warm meat cooking, many perfumes, and some incense from a nearby booth. My stomach was aching painfully. I had been given only a small meal before master's plan was put into action. He'd warned me that failure would mean not eating for the next two weeks. I was already skin and bones. I don't know what more he could take away from me.

"Someone help!" I turned. People were staring up in horror at a robot towering over their heads, marching towards the Walk with cold blue eyes glaring down at the innocent bystanders. I recognized it at once, of course. Master's newest creation. Had he sent it after me? I pressed my hand against my side. How could he have found out so soon? I was turning to flee along with the rest of the people when I heard the same voice call for help again. I turned and saw a woman staring up at the robot with a panicked expression.

"My child!" She sobbed, and my eyes flitted up to the robot's claw hand. Dangling from it was a young girl who was crying and screaming, holding her arms out to her mother helplessly. I looked around. Was no one going to help? It appeared that everyone around me was more preoccupied with saving their own hides. Very well, then. It was up to me.

I was not worthy of the title "hero". No matter what that voice had told me, I would never be loved. But I could at least try to atone for the things I had done. Did it mean nothing that I had helped the suffering people earlier that day by helping the Titans destroy master's rock monster? I was not all evil. And I wouldn't let this child die. Perhaps then I would feel that I had done something worthwhile. Perhaps then I could die in peace. I pulled my hood over my head, masking my face. I didn't want to draw master's attention, if he were watching. I looked up at the robot and raised one hand, curling my fingers slightly. It was easier than it had been for so long, since the distance was not as great as it was when master had me help him. Sparkling dust seemed to radiate off my fingers, spinning in shimmering waves of glass around the robot's hand. The cold eyes of the droid looked down at its hand in confusion when the child slipped cleanly from its grip and floated down on a wave of glass. I released the child into the hands of her mother and then turned my attention to the robot.

"Run!" I called to the woman. She looked at me in awe as I raised both my hands and thrust them forward. A ripple of glass flew through the air, knocking the robot back against a building. I could feel the energy draining from me. My hold on the bond was weakening, and I could feel just how strongly master was calling for me. He knew. I fell forward, crying out in pain. I writhed on the ground, clutching my side. The pain was excruciating. It would be worse if I let go of the bond completely. I looked up through my tears and saw that the robot was advancing on me again. I raised my hand and tried to sit up, though I failed. My glittering glass aura surrounded the robot. It was trapped. It pounded against the glowing shield I had surrounded it in, making loud beeping noises that could have been cries of frustration. The woman had rushed past me, though I felt her eyes – as well as the eyes of many others – on me. I squinted against the pain and held my shield in place, no matter how much pain that simple gesture caused me.

"Help her! She's hurt!" I heard the woman's voice behind me. The sound of wind filled my ears and I released my shield as a burst of green filled the air. I watched as the robot was consumed by it, my glittering aura fading as it no longer had any purpose. The robot was defeated. I laid my face against the cold stone ground, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth against the pain that flared up my side. I could feel the bond pulsing and calling so strongly, I knew it would near kill me if it was in full existence. I gasped as I felt something warm against my shoulder. I whimpered and tried to get away.

"It's alright," a voice said, raspy and somehow comforting, "We took it down. Are you hurt somewhere?" I glanced at the boy sitting next to me. He was wearing purple, and there was a T on his uniform. My eyes widened in horror. One of the Teen Titans! I had to get away! If they found out who I was, which the dark one surely would, then I'd be tortured worse than I ever had by master. I couldn't survive that! I couldn't sit in their dark rooms and be probed and shocked and tormented… I couldn't do it! I crawled from the boy's side, keeping my head down as I pushed myself to my feet.

"Hey! Wait!" He called. But the adrenaline of fear chorused through my veins, and I was off. I ran as fast as I could, stumbling as I clutched my side, trying to stifle the pain. I ran until I couldn't hear him calling me anymore. I ran and ran, until my feet were stinging and the pain forced me to stop. I was in the park, surrounded by trees. I looked up. Just over my head, between the clouds, I could see a patch of blue sky. I let out my breath, collapsing on the ground beneath a tree. My eyes closed, knowing that I would find peace from the bond while I slept. A slow, weary smile spread across my face. At least I had seen it. That patch of blue. My dream. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I drifted off into sleep. My dream was fulfilled at last. For the first time in many years, I slept without dreams.

./*/.*/*./*/.

"It was just weird," Beast Boy sighed, pressing the on button of his gaming system. He turned and saw Robin looked upset, as only Robin ever could. He frowned and crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "I mean, we obviously just wanted to help. Why'd she run away?"

"Who knows?" Cyborg mused, sitting down on the couch with a loud thud. He muttered crossly as he had to screw in one of his loose bolts again. Beast Boy sighed and sat down beside him, looking up at the TV without much interest.

"That woman said that the girl saved her daughter," Starfire said, getting up from the kitchen counter, "Maybe she was afraid of someone finding out about her powers."

"She did seem to have some kind of powers," Raven agreed, floating to her place on the couch like a wraith. She sat down and crossed her legs, watching the TV screen with those emotionless eyes of hers. Robin stood, running a hand through his dark hair.

"There was something eerily familiar about the way that robot seemed to… shine." He said thoughtfully.

"Could it have been sent by Slade?" Raven suggested.

"That seems likely." Robin turned and looked out the windows of Titan's Tower. The wide expanse of blue sea seemed to glisten and sparkle as the clouds finally parted, revealing the warm summer sky. Robin hesitated before turning to Raven.

"Could I talk to you? In private?" He asked quietly. Raven looked at him steadily and then stood, floating after him as he walked into the halls. He nodded to Starfire, trying not to feel uncomfortable as she stared after him. He knew his girlfriend well enough. If he burdened her with his troubles she'd just worry. But Raven was his confident, his close friend, and he could trust her to help him think through any problems or doubts he had.

"What's wrong, Robin?" Raven asked.

"You noticed the… the shimmering, too, right?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yes. It was like my black aura, only… different, somehow." Raven said thoughtfully, tilting her chin so that her dark hair fell over her face. Then she looked up, fixing her inky eyes on Robin's face. "Do you think that power has something to do with what Slade said about a… new apprentice?"

"That's just what I was afraid of. He never had that ability before." Robin murmured, staring down the hallway and wishing he could find an answer to all his questions somewhere, somehow. He sighed.

"I think you should relax for now, Robin," Raven suggested, her voice soft and concerned, at least for her, "Slade will move again soon, I think. He's already struck twice in one day. Though… the attack this afternoon was strange."

"How so?" Robin inquired.

"He didn't put on a show of it. I felt that whatever it was, that robot wasn't meant to lure us in." Their eyes met, and Robin felt the terrible truth of his friend's words. He sighed, thinking of the shimmering aura and the strange girl that had run away from Beast Boy.

"Things are getting pretty complicated," he sighed.

"And they'll only get worse from here on out," Raven agreed. Robin nodded gravely and then turned to rejoin the other Titans. No matter what happened, he knew, they would not be unprepared like they had with Terra. This time, they wouldn't suffer. He was positive of that.

He had to be.

.~*/~*/~*.

"The little wretch!" Slade roared, pacing the length of the cell. Her chains lay forlorn and empty on the cold stone ground, and by the Watcher's twitching he could tell that she had robbed him of his chance after the robot attack by falling asleep somewhere. Slade cursed under his breath, glaring up at the barred window overhead. She would pay for disobeying him. He turned and strode out into the empty tunnels that made up his lair. He made his way to the central chamber, where a large screen showed him the wreck of his robot minion. His visible eye narrowed into a slit as he felt the Watcher hover at his shoulder. She couldn't fight the bond forever. One day it would break through her little barrier, and she would be powerless to stop it.

"You called, master?" A voice echoed behind him.

"Yes," Slade replied, not taking his eyes off the screen, "I have a task for you." He turned around. A young-looking boy stood up at his master's nod. He was thin but had strong-looking arms. He wore a mask that was silver instead of bronze, but still had the half-black side that resembled Slade's.

"I am at my master's disposal," the boy said, bowing his head.

"I want you to find the little runaway," Slade murmured, turning to the screen again, "And I want you to teach her a lesson she won't soon forget."

"It will be done, master." As his apprentice left, Slade felt an evil sort of smugness.

"You won't evade me forever, girl," he murmured, his voice low and menacing, "And you'll regret the day you turned against me."


Author's Note:

Thanks for reading Carved Glass! Have your sort of figured out the title of the story now? ^,^ *laughs* Anyways, thank you for your time and I would greatly GREATLY appreciate a review! So press de button please and make my day! :D

-LR